


Solace

by BloodRaevynn



Category: Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (2011), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Community: norsekink, Family Issues, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 01:15:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2172426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodRaevynn/pseuds/BloodRaevynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His lips had healed for the most part, once he'd adapted to the pain enough that he only whimpered and sobbed, instead of the failed screams that caused the sutures to tear.  When his torturers were still there they'd pressed his eyelids open from time to time so that the venom could strike his eyes directly, but no longer, for they'd long since abandoned him to suffer alone.</p><p>    He'd known them. Not well enough to put names to most of the faces, but he recognized them all... from Asgard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A fill for a norsekink prompt, the full text of which can be found in the footnote. Eventually there will be Thor/Loki sexytimes, but it'll be a while; I'm not sure how explicit it will be so for now I'm using the Mature tag, but the rating will probably go up.
> 
> Also wanted to mention that I'm trying to create a skype-based ficwriter community, so that writers can easily find people to beta their work, bounce ideas off of, help them bust writer's block, kick their ass for not having a good excuse for not writing that next chapter, etc. If you would be interested in that, please Email me (see Profile).

* * *

 

    The pain had been a constant for so long that he was almost numb to it. His lips, at least, didn't hurt so much - they'd healed for the most part, once he'd adapted to the pain enough that he only whimpered and sobbed in response to the burning staccatto on his face, instead of the failed screams that caused the sutures to tear.  His lids were swollen shut from the venom, and he had no idea if they still closed over eyes, or merely empty pits; so intense had the pain been that he feared it was the latter.  When his torturers were still there they'd pressed his eyelids open from time to time so that the venom could strike his eyes directly, but no longer, for they'd long since abandoned him to suffer alone.

    He'd known them. Not well enough to put names to most of the faces, but he recognized them all... from Asgard.  

    Odin didn't even regard him important enough to be dragged before the throne and sentanced properly.

    Loki flinched when he heard the sound of the door opening wide and crashing against the wall.  Had his captors returned with a new torture now that he'd grown used to this one?  There were voices, but he couldn't focus on them enough to make words out of the syllables.

    He felt hands pulling at the restraints, then the expected drop of venom did not hit his face - instead he heard the sound of liquid hitting metal.  A large, warm hand cupped the side of his face, a ghost of a touch trailed across his stitched lips. There was a sound like a sob; at first Loki thought it was his own, so familiar was the voice, but then he realized that the voice belonged to Thor.

    An arm slid under his shoulders and lifted them as a warm, thick cloth that smelled of Thor was wrapped around his nude body. His mind held tight to his brother's voice, as it spoke in choked but soothing tones.  Slowly the syllables resolved into words: "I'm here, brother.  You are safe now." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Prompt:  
> I am craving Thor/Loki hurt-rescue-comfort, touching on two of the more owie-cringing-now! myths of Loki... the one with his mouth sewn shut, and the one with him tied up beneath the world in his son's entrails and a snake dripping venom in his eyes. But um... well, I don't want the actual myths themselves... just the punishment results, if you see what I mean? Like... somehow some... I don't know, some dark cabal manages to trick the Trickster and the only way to hold him is to imitate these myths, so they sew his mouth shut with magicked thread and use some special method to chain him to an altar, carve bindrunes in his skin, and do the whole ruining his eyes thing.
> 
> I don't think I really need to SEE the torturing part, but damn if I don't want to see Loki wandering blind through the Avenger's mansion, pin-prick scars around his lips, managing random pranks here and there (though nowhere up to his normal standards) and growing increasingly frustrated simply trying to live day to day until Thor needs to pin him down to stop a thrashing fit with destruction magic going haywire until Loki wears himself out and realizes that even after everything he's done, Thor is STILL there for him--still rescued him, is putting up with him wounded, broken and freaking out when random things trigger flashbacks, and that Thor is not going to stop being there. And then cue up the not-actually-incestuous-even-while-calling-each-other-"brother"-because-they-aren't-actually-the-same-SPECIES-even comfort sex.
> 
> and um... yeah.


	2. Chapter 1

    Loki woke slowly, consciousness drifting up from a drugged sleep to a stillness that seemed unnatural.  Gone was the agonizing rhythm of the dripping venom and the hiss of the imprisoned snake hanging over his head.  His face and its accompanying pain felt distant and inconsequential, though he now noticed the deep ache of the bind runes that had been carved into his skin, which had faded from awareness the moment the first drop of venom fell into one of his eyes.

    The surface he lay on was not the unyielding stone of the alter he had been bound to; it was soft and comfortable, and his body was covered by a heavy blanket.  He could feel a bandage wrapped around his head, covering whatever remained of his eyes.

    Before they had sewn his mouth shut they had forced in a wad of cloth to prevent him from biting his tongue, but now it was gone.  He slowly lifted an aching limb and touched stiff fingers to his mouth.  The thick thread had been removed, and he could feel the bumps of scabs under the sticky salve that someone had applied.

    "Loki?"  The voice came from his right, only a few feet away.  Thor's voice. "Do you wake?"  A hand gently stroked Loki's hair back from his face. 

    Loki's lips peeled open slowly, he'd almost forgotten how his mouth worked; he inhaled, the sensation of air rushing across his tongue strange to him.  He needed to tell Thor...something; the words fell away even as they took shape in his mind.

    "Brother," Loki murmured, almost a whisper.

    "I'm here.  Sleep; you are exhausted.  I will stand watch."

    "Not a dream?" Loki managed.

    "Not a dream,"  Thor assured him.  "You are safe."

    Loki relaxed, letting himself drift back to a dreamless sleep, soothed by his brother's touch.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really, really shouldn't have taken as long as it did. I'd already written up to chapter 6 a long time ago; I'm just releasing the chapters a few days apart to maximize comments, since they give me inspiration and I'm hoping they'll break me out of this horrible rut I've been in for the last two years (hint hint).

* * *

 

    When Loki woke again the pain was much worse, but his mind was clearer; a fair trade by his own accounting. 

    "Where am I?"  He asked, certain that his brother had not left him alone.

    "This is a place of healing belonging to SHEILD."  Thor's voice answered him.

    "Am I a prisoner?"

    "Fury considers you one,"  Thor replied hesitantly.  "But what difference does it make when you are not yet well enough to leave the building under your own power anyway?"

    "Very little, I suppose," Loki said sharply.

    "Would you like to sit up?"  Thor asked. "The bed folds into a chair of sorts.  It is quite practical."

    "That would be appreciated," Loki admitted after a moment of hesitation.

    There was a loud mechanical whirring as the head of the bed rose.  He felt slightly ridiculous and the shift of position made him aware of other injuries, but it was a vast improvement to not be on his back.

    "Here," Thor pressed a mug into Loki's left hand, turning it so the handle looped over his fingers.  "Drink some broth; you need to regain your strength. Mind you do not try to use your right hand; the wrist was badly broken."  Loki lifted the mug awkwardly to his lips, thankful that Thor did not attempt to spoon-feed him.  Thor continued speaking as Loki drank. "I would think something more substantial would serve that purpose better, but the healers here have told me that you've been so long without food that you might not be able to keep down anything solid just yet."

    Loki carefully set the half-empty mug down in his lap and ran his fingers over the bandages on his face; even that slight pressure hurt, and he could tell that underneath the skin was still badly swollen.  "How bad is it?"

    "They told me that the damage to your eyes was very severe," Thor told him.  "They recommended removing them, for fear of infection, since they believe it impossible for you to recover your sight."  Loki stiffened, fingers clutching the blankets, but didn't speak or even make a sound as his brother continued. "However Midgardian healing practices are still somewhat primitive.  When you have recovered enough, we will return to Asgard and see what our own healers have to say."

    Loki laughed; just one bitter, knife-like sound.

    "What makes you think they would have me there?"

    "Father asked me to bring you home.  He sent Sif to tell me of your plight immediately upon hearing of it from Heimdall."

    "Or so he told you.  Tell me, brother, who do you think did this to me?"

    "Loki, you cannot suggest--"

    "The people who captured me - tortured me - were Asgardian! I knew their faces!  Do you really think they would have acted without the Allfather's order!?"   

    "Loki..."

    "How long was I there?"  Loki asked.  "Do you know?"

    "The last time we encountered you was five months ago."

    "Four months then.  Even if it is as you say, the first thing my captors did was bind my magic - Heimdall watched me suffer for four months.  Which do you think is more likely?" Loki sneered.  "That Heimdall gave my torturers passage to Midgard, then watched and said nothing to his king, or that Odin ordered my torture and sent you once he felt my punishment was sufficient?  Or perhaps," he bit out, "you were in on it too."

    "Do you honestly believe that I could ever become so adept a liar as to fool even you, brother?"

    Some of Loki's ire fled him and he sighed. "No. Your lies were always blatantly obvious."

    Thor's large hands cupped Loki's face, gently turning it toward him.

    "I will find out who did this to you."

    "And if it was Odin? What then?"

    Thor said nothing, but his thumb gently stroked Loki's cheek.  Loki leaned into the caress instinctively, then he froze, realization sinking in.  Thor's thumb traced a very specific path across Loki's face - the path of one of the marks he bore in his Jotunn form.

    "Don't touch me," Loki bit out, through clenched teeth.  He smacked Thor's hands away, heedless of his broken wrist.  Thor had seen Loki's Jotunn form a few times, when Loki had been desperate enough to use ice, but neither closely enough nor often enough for him to have memorized the position of the lines.

    "Loki..."

    "I am sure you are horrified to see me trapped in my natural, monstrous form; I have no need of your pity!"

    "That is not --"

    "Get out."

    "Loki, listen to me!"

    " **Get out!!** " Loki threw the mug in the direction of Thor's voice and heard it shatter against the floor.

    Thor sighed, and his chair scraped against the floor as he stood.

    "Alright. I will leave for now if that is your wish, but I will return."

    "Don't feel obligated."

    He listened as the footsteps receded and a door opened.

    "You are not a monster, Loki -- not unless you choose to be -- and your natural form is......not unpleasant to behold."

    A few more footsteps and the door closed, leaving Loki alone with his thoughts.


	4. Chapter 3

    Thor stalked toward Heimdall, who watched him impassively.

    "You watched him suffer for **four months!** "  Thor roared.

    "Loki's crimes could not continue to go unpunished," Heimdall replied calmly.  "It was my duty to decide the appropriate duration.  For your and your father's sake, I was more merciful than he deserved."

    "Did my father order this?"

    "He did not.  We acted to spare Odin that burden and Loki's resentment; the Allfather wishes to bring his adopted son home and reconcile with him - we have made that possible."

    Heimdall no doubt saw the blow coming, but didn't move to evade or block it.  Mjolnir hit him full in the chest, the force flinging him out onto the bridge.  No sooner had Heimdall gotten back to his feet than Thor sent his hammer flying to knock him back down. Heimdall regained his feet more slowly this time, as Thor approached, clearly ready to hit him a third time.  It was only then, with the daylight hitting Heimdall's face directly, that Thor noticed the bruises on the gatekeeper's face.

    "Did my father give you those?"

    "He did."

    "Then he knows what you have done."

    "I told him all after I opened the gate for Sif.  Those who tortured your brother have been exiled to townships far away from here so that Loki need never lay eyes on them again, ostensibly for acting without orders, and all of us will pay weregild dependant upon how much his injuries affect his ability to fulfill his duties as prince and seidmadr."

    "That is not enough!"

    "If what Loki suffered is treated as a crime, it cannot serve as his punishment.  There were many who called for his execution, not least among them the Jotnar, what we have done will silence most of them.  The Allfather punishes us as fully as he can under the circumstances.  If you feel you must take your anger out on me I will not fight back, though I can not be made to feel remorse for my actions.  I believe we did what was best for Asgard...and for Loki."

    Thor stopped, his jaw clenching as he struggled internally. Finally, his shoulders slumped a bit and he put Mjolnir back on his belt.  He couldn't bring himself to beat a man who refused to defend himself; as much as Heimdall deserved it, as much as Thor wanted to avenge Loki, Heimdall's passive acceptance defeated his rage.

    Well...almost.

    Thor squared his shoulders, closed the distance in two steps, and punched Heimdall in the face.

    "Stay out of my sight," Thor snarled, before using Mjolnir to hurtle himself into the air, toward the palace.

    Frigga was waiting for him at the palace gates; when he landed she ran to him, eveloping him in her embrace.

    "How does he fare?" she asked.

    "Not so poorly as we feared; he was lucid and calmer than I expected when he woke.  His eyes are badly damaged though."

    Frigga released him and stepped back, her expression grave.  "You must not be so quick to assume Loki's mind has escaped his torture unharmed.   An ordeal such as your brother has suffered leaves deep wounds in the psyche which will not heal as quickly as those inflicted upon his flesh; and with Loki, I fear, they will not be so easy to discover and attend to.  As we once learned too late, Loki has ever been adept at pretending all is well with him when it is not."

    "Are you aware of the role Heimdall played in all of this?"  Thor asked.

    "Yes," she replied, casting a dark look back the way Thor had come.  "I would have him exiled to the most frozen corner of Jotunheim, were there a single being in the nine realms who could replace him."  She clenched her teeth and forced herself to look away, back to her son.  "Come; your father awaits news of your brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't often villainize characters to create a conflict; I think it's lazy, not to mention boring. Especially when it's already been done to death. One of my favorite anime series is Seirei no Moribito, because every last one of the characters is doing what they genuinely and reasonably believe is right; including the king who is trying to assassinate his own child. 
> 
> I like stories that are complicated, with painful situations that have no easy answers. Those are the kind of stories I try to write.   
> >.> So you'll have to forgive me if I found some of the comments that just immediately assumed that Loki's suspicions would be inevitably correct a bit irksome.
> 
> Also it might be worth mentioning that I started writing this before Avengers came out, never mind Thor 2, so this story exists entirely in its own continuity post Thor 1 (which I have no intention of going into detail about).


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for making you guys wait so long for a chapter that was already written. Depression will do that.

    Frigga took Thor not to the throne room but to the king's private chambers. Odin was on the balcony, dressed in simple robes; he turned when he heard them approach, looking haggard, as if he had not slept in the two nights since Loki was found.   
    "He is awake," Thor told him, "and he seems no less sane than when last I saw him. Mother cautions me that there are yet deeper problems to watch for though."  
    "And his eyes?"  
    "The Midgardians think the damage too great to heal."  
    "We will need to have our own healers attend to him," Frigga said.  
    "I had intended to bring him home to recover," Thor's hands curled into fists. "But knowing what I now do, I would think that unwise."   
    "I agree," Odin said.   
    "I will have Eir prepare immediately for the journey to Midgard." Frigga squeezed her son's hand gently and took her leave.  
    "What else?" Odin asked. "Heimdall told me they bound his magic."  
    "There are bind runes all over his body." Thor's voice turned vicious. "Cut directly into his skin."  
    "Those can be dealt with, though the recovery of his magic would take time. However, I would not subject him to the method so soon; it means further pain, and would likely be too hard on your brother's body in his present condition."  
    "Loki is in Jotunn form," Thor said softly.  
    "I thought as much. The Aesir form he usually wears is a shift I guided him into when he was a baby - he had strong Seidr even then, and most Jotunn have at least a little natural shape-shifting ability, to alter their bodies for mating or combat advantage. The spell I placed on him only made him return to the Aesir form as instinctively as if it were his natural form, but with his power bound he could not sustain the shift."  
    "He did not know at first, but when he realized he was furious and demanded that I leave the room. He did not want to be seen like that, or touched."  
    "It was too much to hope that he would have become comfortable with his true form on his own," Odin observed. "Not when he despised his world of origin so much that he sought to destroy it in order to prove himself my son." Odin's eye pressed shut against old pain and regret - old, but not in the least diminished with time. He heaved a heavy sigh and turned to go inside. Once he crossed the threshold he stopped, was still for a moment, head bowed, and then rammed his fist into the wall beside the door.   
    "I should have had you drag your brother back home and lock him in the dungeon where he would be SAFE!" The last word came out in a bitter, incredulous laugh. "It would have satisfied the people enough to buy time until we could come up with a way for Loki to make amends for his crimes without driving him away further! No one would have felt the need to take the law into their own hands!"  
    "Father--"   
    "I nearly accompanied Sif to Midgard to rescue Loki myself; would have, had Heimdall not informed me on our arrival that he had further information on Loki's attackers." Odin shook his head; at this point he knew he would not be able to speak of that conversation without degenerating into incoherent rage. "He was right about one thing at least - though I try to be both, I am oft unsure when to act as King and when to act as Father, and of late it seems my decision is more frequently the wrong one. My son is possibly lost to me, and my people doubt my competence.  
    "Tell me, Thor," Odin asked, his eye seeking out his son's. "Do I now act as King, tallying up every small infraction I can find in order to extract every inadequate ounce of Weregild from Loki's attackers as restitution, when as Father I want nothing more than to tear every last one of them limb from limb with my bare hands?"  
    Thor's hands clenched into fists; wanting to tell his father that he would gladly drag them all back so that Odin could do exactly that. But Thor had long since learned that rash actions can have dire consequences - a lesson given to him by Loki.   
    So, though it seemed that every atom of his being screamed in denial, Thor answered his father: "Yes."  
    "Then how do I answer to him?" Odin asked, helplessly.  
    "I do not know." Thor forced his hands to unclench, his palms stinging where the nails had broken the skin. "Will you come with me to see him?"  
    "Would he wish to see me?"  
    "Right now he believes it was you who..."  
    Odin bowed his head.   
    "Of course he does," he said resignedly. "Tell him what you have learned. All of it."   
    "But--"  
    "When it comes to Loki, I think keeping silent about the treatment of his assailants for any length of time would be more damaging than telling him upfront; but consult with your mother, her judgment on such matters is usually better than mine."  
    Thor nodded and, hesitantly, made his way to the door to seek Frigga. He stopped there and looked back to see Odin hunched in on himself, looking small and broken.  



	6. Chapter 6

    Sif stood guard by the door to Loki's hospital room; an armed SHIELD guard stood on the other side of the doorway. He was a consummate professional and did not once attempt to speak to her, which was fine since she was in no mood for conversation herself.

    She didn't like Loki, never had, but she felt that he had suffered more than his due. This didn't mean she was willing to go into the room and offer comfort - not that he'd accept it if she did - but she would protect him to the best of her ability; Thor had asked it of her and, despite his crimes, Loki was still a prince of Asgard.

    Thor was wary of SHIELD, and deservedly so; this was one of their military hospitals, and Fury had a vested interest in finding out everything Loki knew about the villains he sometimes kept company with. Sif was therefore unsurprised when Fury and four other guards strode down the hallway not three hours after Thor's departure. Sif placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and moved to intercept him. The guard at the door stayed put, but Sif made sure to place herself such that she could still see him from the corner of her eye. She was not yet adapted to the projectile weapons the Midgardians now employed.

    "Lady Sif, let us pass. We have questions that need answering."

    "You may seek an audience at a later time, mortal," Sif replied. " **My prince** is in need of his rest."

    "Your prince has committed numerous crimes on our soil, conspired with various criminals and terrorists, and presently does not have diplomatic immunity."

    "He is still my prince, and Thor has given me a direct order to protect him."

    "I don't intend to harm him," Fury said.

    "Then why bring so many warriors?"

    "In case he intends to harm me. Loki may be injured and without his magic, but I do know just how strong you people are compared to us mere mortals; if he wanted to, he could still do a lot of damage." Fury spread his hands as if to show that he was harmless - a ridiculous notion even to Sif. "I only want to talk."

    "You waited until Thor left to _talk_?" Sif raised one eyebrow incredulously. "Well, you can wait until he returns and make your request of **him**. I have my orders. Unless you intend to assault a noblewoman and Shield Maiden of Asgard, stand down. I assure you, you will not like what follows should you take up arms against me. I am a warrior with over a thousand years of combat experience and, unlike Loki, I am entirely uninjured."

    Footsteps echoed down the corridor and Sif recognized one particularly heavy set.

    "But it would seem your waiting is already at an end; Thor returns."

    "What is the meaning of this?" Thor's voice boomed. He narrowed his eyes, looking over the armed men. "Take your soldiers and leave or I will remove you myself. I am in no temper to abide this disrespect."

    "Thor, Loki is--"

    "Under **my** protection and guard! Sif, why are they here?"

    "They seek to interrogate Loki about his past associations."

    "You don't even know that he _considers_ them past!" Fury argued. "Has he said that he intends to cease his criminal activities?"

    "I know not what my brother intends," admitted Thor. "But neither do we know how permanent his injuries are."

    "Even if he's lost his sight and magic for good," Fury replied, "you and I both know he needs neither to be a serious threat!"

    "Threat or not, my son is a prince of Asgard, and will be treated as such."

    Fury had disregarded the three women who stood behind Thor, assuming they were Asgardian healers. Now Frigga stepped forward, her bearing regal, despite her clothing more closely resembling that of the other two women than that of a queen.

    "Your Highness," Fury said, bowing - clearly flustered. "I didn't realize--"

    "Address your questions to Thor and we will convey them to Loki when we feel he is able to deal with them. That is the only way you will be getting any answers. Now stand aside; I wish to see my son."


End file.
